Flashlight



*March 2|, 1943. F. J. BERLINGl-:R

FLASI-IIJIGH';I

Filed Oct. v9, l1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @Meridiani-m IIIIIIm- INVENT OR. 'y' er. ,im

'Maf-ch 2, 1943. F. J. BERL'INVGER y v2,312,305 l FLASHLIGHT' Filed oct. 9, v1940 zsneets-sheet 2 INVENT OR.

Patented Mar. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES f PATENT oFFicE i l 2,312,305 FnAsHLrGH'r Frederick J. .Beningenfoineinnatr ohio. Applicationoetber 9, 1940'.. serial-Na 360,422

vfolaims. (C1. r24omesi between said bulb and the casing in whichsaid 1 carriage moves. Y

Another object ofthe invention isto. provide an. improved manually'operable means for actuating a movable lamp .carriage toppen. andv close a. switching device forthe flashlight.

A furtherobject of my invention is. toprovide I 'a flashlightof the characterdescribed. which .has a few simple parts which may be manufactured and assembled quickly and .inexpensively and which operate positively andlaocurately to accomplish thel above` outlinedfunctions.

Other objects will become apparent fromthe following specification and drawingswhich. show a preferred vform of my inventionandlin which.:

.Fig. 1 isa front elevational View of my flash.; light.

Fig. 2 is' airagment'al, enlarged, cross-sectional view taken on. line 2f-2 ofjFg. 1. Fig. 3`is' an enlarged cross-sectionalview taken onlirie 3;-3 of Fig. 1'.` g

Fig. 4' is a side elevation of vthe ftcpportionof the flashlight; shown in Fig. 1, 'withthemanually operated sleeve removedlthverefrom.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged,l .side elevational view. of the lamp bulb carriage .for my flashlight..

Fig. 6 is a frontelevatinal viewofamodifica.- tion of my invention. l y

Fig. 7 is an enlarged,cross-Sectional'view. taken on line l-'I o'f Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectionalview taken on line.8-8 of Fig. 6'."v K l l The embodimentV of `my invention consistsofa tubular. casing 3, preferably` made of'metal, and having an. open top .gand' a closed bottom. I0'. A

plurality of conventional drycell batteries yI lare fio positioned within' the casing with their. capped carbon electrodes in engagement with the bottom Aof the metal cup of the cell next above.4 'I-'he cup is covered with an impregnated' paper,. as. is well known. The batteriesl |.I are axially movable within the casing so thatn they. may be inserted therein through the open top .9f and.for the purposes to be hereinafter explained. v. v A lamptcarriage l2 is 'rotatablyand axially movable within thecasingadjacent the open end "9' thereof..` 'Thecarriage is` cylindricalv in form andV i's providedwith a reduced shankflike portion |3, Isaid portion and said carriage having a hollowfopeni-ended center forfr'eely receiving incandescent lightA bulb I4. vAs shownV in Fig'. 2,

the reduced portion of the lamp bulb bears against a` shoulder defining thev division plane betweenth'e'hollow part of the ,shanky and the hollow part of the carriage proper.

A resilient means ismounted onthe carriage for" engagingthe lamp'bulb to maintainit within the carriageand alsoj to en'gage'the interiorsur- .face of: the casing. Thismeans comprises'a leaf spring' l5; circular in form, whichis disposed in a peripheral groove I6 formed in the carriage. The spring is fastened intermediate its ends to the carriage by means ...of opposed ears I1 punched .in theside Walls ofthe grooveafter the springhas been-inserted therein; vAs'clearly indi'cated in'Figs. 3.and 5Jv one end ofthe spring'is providedwith a nger I8 which extends through an opening l'liformedv in .the carriage in horizontal alignment. with' the. peripheral groove I6. Thenger riesiliently pressesv against the threaded metal end of the lamp'which serves' as one terminal therefor. As shown inFigs. 2and 3, v

`22 fastenedto. the leaf spring and. extending through an inclined slot 2'3` formed `in vthecasing 8...' The lugV 2`2 Vis received in a hole 24. formed inthe sleeveZ'l-- y Aspiring clip2.5. is `fastenedto the carriage by lproviding a hookY portion 26. thereonfor entering aj'slot- 21V for-med inthe sleeve. 'II-he'clip is made of spring metal and constantly urges itsfree end 28 againstzftheA exterior portion. of the casing.

' A- switchingj device. 29 for the'A ashlight comprises an insulation diskf 30 'having' aV central aperture4 3|" and a shank. portion 32' through which said aperture extends. A compression spriiig'33 encircles thev shank' portion 32` andenga-ges the7 interior wallof the casing B. The lower end of the spring'isturnedupwardly'into a' Contact portion A34'w'hich,gwhen` thebatteries areaxially moved downwardly against the action vof the spring, contacts the bottom of the lowermost battery I I.

The spring is normally adapted to urge the batteries upwardly so thatl the carbon electrode 35 of the uppermost battery is in contact with the lamp terminal 36. Rotational movement of the sleeve in a clockwise direction, as indicated in Fig. 3 will cause the lamp carriage to be rotated and moved axially in a downward direction, until the bottom of the lowermost battery is engaged by the contact portion 34 of the spring 33 whereby an electric current will be created and pass through the lamp bulb. The lamp is turned off by turning the sleeve in a counterclockwise direction.

To open the flashlight to replace worn ou lamps or batteries, the carriage and sleeve are rotated clockwise toward their respective on positions and are stopped before said positions are reached. The carriage is then held rigid by manually grasping its shank portion I3 and the sleeve is rotated counterclockwise and the force thereby exerted on the lug 22 will cause the spring to move inwardly, thus disengaging said lug from the hole 24 formed inthe sleeve. The sleeve is then removed and by manually pressing the lug inwardly it can be disengaged from the slot 23 and the carriage may be moved axially out of the casing. To assemble the flashlight, the lug is depressed to clear the interior surface of the casing as the carriage is inserted therein and upon alignment of the lug and the slot the lug will snap into it by action of the spring I5. The sleeve is then placed around the casing and the lug depressed to engage the interior of said sleeve. When the lug is in alignment with the hole 24 it will enter it thus completing the assembly of the flashlight.

A modification of my flashlight is illustrated in Figs. 6-8, like parts therein being indicated by reference numerals heretofore used in Figs. l15. In this flashlight structure, the lamp carriage I2 is cylindrical in shape and is also provided with a shank-like portion I3. The carriage is hollow for the reception of a lamp bulb I4. The exterior part of the carriage is provided with a peripheral groove 38 into which the upper edge 39 of the sleeve 2li) is crimped to rigidly fasten the carriage to said sleeve. As shown in Fig. 7, the portion of the sleeve below its connection with the carriage extends outwardly so as to provide suicient clearance between its interior and the exterior of the carriage for insertion therebetween of the upper edge of the casing 8. The casing is adapted for free relative movement between the sleeve and the carriage and is provided with an inclined slot 40 narrower than the slot I5 in the flashlight illustrated in Figs. l-5. The slot is adapted to receive the upper end 4I of spring clip 25, said end being resiliently held therein by action of the clip and adapted to extend through a hole 24 formed in the sleeve. The clip is formed to lie beneath a raised portion 42 formed in the sleeve and to then have a return bend portion 43 constituting a manual release lever for the clip. The lower end 28 of the clip is normally urged against the exterior of the casing 8.

'Ihe lamp I4 is held in the carriage by means of a leaf spring 44 which is U-shaped in crosssection and disposed around the lower edge of the carriage. The spring is fastened to the carriage by forming a horizontal cut 46 in the lower part of the carriage, entering the spring therein, and then forcing the portion between the edge of the carriage and the slot against the spring to rigidly clamp said spring in position. The legs of this spring are urged outwardly away from the wall of the carriage, the interior leg serving to hold the lamp in the carriage. The other leg of the spring resiliently engages the interior of the casing. The spring therefore establishes a good electrical connection between the lamp and the casing. The lower portion of the flashlight is the same as that illustrated in Figs. 1-5 and therefore needl not be described again.

To disengage the carriage and sleeve from the upper end of the casing for replacing batteries or a lamp, it is only necessary to raise the upper end 4I of the clip out of the groove 4i) formed in the casing and move the parts away from each other. The end 4I may be raised out of the slot 40 by inserting a tool or other means between the adjacent portion of the clip and the sleeve and prying or otherwise moving said end out of the slot against the action of said spring clip. The preferred means of accomplishing the sepa- 'ration of the flashlight is to form the end 4I of the clip with a tapered end having rounded corners as illustrated in Fig. 8. To move the end out of the slot would then require a rotational force greater than that used to normally torn the light 01T and on, said force causing the tapered end to ride out of the slot and over the exterior portion of the casing of the upper edge thereof for disengagement of the parts. To again return the parts to operative position, I form a notch 45 in the upper edge of the casing, which is adapted to receive the end 4I of the spring and thereafter upon rotation of the sleeve, the end will ride up on the casing until brought over the slot where it will snap into said slot under the inherent action of the resilient clip 2,5.

What is claimed is:

1. In a flashlight the combination of a cylindrical casing having a closed bottom end and an open end, a battery axially movable within the casing, a cylindrical carriage axially and rotatably movable within the casing and disposed adjacent the open end thereof, a lamp bulb held in the carriage and in contact with the battery, a switch between the bottom of thecasing and the battery, a spring in the bottom of the casing for biasing the battery, lamp and carriage to open switch positions, a manually operated means rotatably and axially movable exteriorly of the open end of the casing for actuating the carriage, means for establishing a constant electrical contact between the lamp and the casing and means for operatively connecting the manually operated means and the carriage, said member upon operation being adapted to axially move the carriage, lamp and battery to closed or cpen switch positions.

2. In a flashlight the combination of a cylindrical casing having a closed bottom end and an open end, a battery axially movable within the casing, a lamp bulb in contact with the battery, a cylindrical carriage axially and rotatably movable within the casing and disposed adjacent the open en d thereof, said carriage having a central opening therethrough for enclosing the lamp bulb, a switch between the bottom of the casing and the battery, a spring in the bottom of the casing for biasing the battery, lamp and carriage to open switch positions, a ring rotatably and axially movable exteriorly ofthe open end of the casing for actuating the carriage, means for operatively connecting the ring and the carriage, said ring upon manual operation being adapted to axially move the carriage lamp and battery to closed or open switch positions, and a spring mounted on the carriage in resilient engagement with the lamp bulb, said spring also resiliently engaging the casing to form an electrical connection between said bulb and casing and to provide a sliding, frictional connection between the carriage and said casing.

3. In a flashlight the combination of a cylindrical casing having a closed bottom end and an open end, a battery axially movable within the casing, a lamp bulb in contact with the battery, a cylindrical carriage axially and rotatably movable within the casing and disposed adjacent the open end thereof, said carriage having a central opening therethrough for enclosing the lamp bulb, a switch between the bottom of the casing and the battery, a spring in the bottom of the casing for biasing the battery, lamp and carriage to open switch positions, a ring rotatably and axially movable exteriorly of the open end of the casing for actuating the carriage, means on the carriage extending through the casing for operatively connecting the ring and the carriage, said ring upon manual operation being adapted to axially move the carriage, lamp and battery to closed or open switch positions, and a spring mounted on the carriage in resilient engagement with the lamp bulb, said spring also resiliently engaging the casing to form an electrical connection between said bulb and casing and to provide a sliding, frictional connection between the carriage and said casing.

4. In a flashlight the combination of a tubular casing having a closed bottom end and an open end and an inclined slot formed therethrough adjacent said open end, a battery axially movable within the casing, a lamp bulb in contact with the battery, a switch between the bottom end of the casing and the bottom of the battery, a spring in the bottom of the casing for biasing the battery to open switch position, a cylindrical carriage axially and rotatably movable within the casing and disposed adjacent the open .end thereof, said carriage having an axial bore therethrough for enclosing the lamip bulb and having a peripheral groove formed therein, a peripheral opening formed in said carriage in alignment with the groove, a circular leaf spring fastened intermediate its ends in the groove, one end of said spring formed with an inturned linger which extends through one side of said opening for resilient engagement with the lamp bulb, and having its free end disposed in the opposite side of said opening and adapted to resiliently engage the interior of the casing, a lug on the free end of the spring and resiliently held thereon in a position to extend through the slot and beyond the casing, a rotatable switch operating sleeve member around the exterior of the casing and having a hole therein for receiving the lug, said member upon manual rotation thereof being adapted to axially move the carriage, lamp and battery to open or closed switch positions.

5. In a flashlight the combination of a tubular casing having a closed bottom end and an open end, an inclined slot formed in the casing adjacent its open en-d, a battery axially movable within the casing, a switch positioned between the battery and the bottom of the casing, a lamp bulb in contact with the battery, a cylindrical lamp bulb carriage axially and rotatably movable within the casing, means in the bottom of the casing for biasing the battery and carriage to open switch position, a spring mounted on and encirr cling the carriage and engaging the bulb and the casing, a lug on the spring resiliently held in a position to extend through the slot and beyond the casing, and an'axially and rotatably movable switch operating sleeve member on the casing having a hole therein for receiving the lug, said sleeve member upon manual operation being adapted to move the lamp carriage and the battery to open and close said switch.

6. In a flashlight the combination of a cylindrical casing having a closed bottom end and an open end, a battery axially movable within the casing, a cylindrical carriage axially and rotatably movable in the casing and disposed adjacent the open end thereof, a lamp bulb held in the carriage and in contact with the battery, a switch between the bottom of the casing and the battery, a spring in the bottom of the casing for biasing the battery, lamp and carriage to open switch positions, means ior establishing a constant electrical contact between the lamp and the casing, and a sleeve member rotatably and axially movable exteriorly of the open end of the casing and having a top edge united to the upper portion of the carriage whereby upon manual operation of the sleeve member the carriage, lamp and battery are moved to their closed or open switch po-sitions.

7. In a flashlight the combination of a tubular casing having a closed bottom end and an open end, an inclined slot formed in the casing adjacent its open end, a battery axially movable within the casing, a switch positioned between the battery and the bottom of the casing, a lamp bulb in Contact with the battery, a cylindrical lamp bulb carriage axially and rotatably movable in the casing, means for establishing an electrical contact between the bulb and the casing, a sleeve member axially and rotatably movable eXteriorly of the o-pen end of the casing and having a top edge united to the upper portion of the carriage, and a resilient clip mounted on the sleeve and having a free end extending into the inclined slot whereby upon manual operation of the sleeve member the carriage, lamp and battery are moved to their closed or open switch positions.

FREDERICK J. BERLINGER. 

